Probation Training in the UK: M t l Health Mental H lth A Awareness Training for Probation Staff - An Example and Evaluation Coral Sirdifield – Research Assistant Mark Gardner – Probation Officer Workshop Outline B i f overview Brief i off probation b ti ttraining i i iin the th UK Why focus on mental health when training probation staff? Introduction to a mental health awareness training package Evaluation results Questions/Discussion Probation Officer Training in the UK Degree Justice + NVQ Level 4 in Community Combination C bi ti off academic d i study t d and d work experience Why Focus on Mental Health? Whatt do Wh d we know k from f existing i ti research h about the prevalence of mental health problems amongst offenders on probation? Policy focus Benefits for probation staff Benefits for offenders Project Background Based on some training being run in NPS Leicestershire and Rutland Rationale for the project Course Outline Mental health – myths, myths stigma and stereotypes Factors impacting upon mental health The Mental Health Act 1983 Bi--Polar Affective Disorder Bi Self--harm and Suicide Self Personality Disorder Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Learning Disability Depression Eating Disorders Mental Health and Probation Practice Overview of CPA in mental health Some examples of learning covered in the training… Media Stereotypes Media coverage of mental health issues often involves sensational headlines such as: ‘Cop killer had seen shrinks’ (The (The Sun, Sun, 14.6.07) ‘One person a week ‘killed by a mentally ill patient’’ (The (The Daily Mail,, 3.12.06) Mail ‘Ian’s terror at shooting, nutter guns down wife Jane’ (The (The Daily Star, 8.10.07) ‘Bloodbath psycho on bail’ (The (The Sun, Sun, 15.9.05) The Impact of Stigma and Stereotypes: Experiences of Discrimination A survey off experiences off discrimination d and d stigma in relation to mental health found that: 56% of respondents reported discrimination within ithi th their i own ffamily il 51% of respondents reported discrimination from friends 47% of respondents reported discrimination at work (Mental Health Foundation Foundation, 2000: 8) The Impact of Stigma and Stereotypes: Disclosure Additionally the survey showed that: Additionally, 42% of respondents stated that they could not disclose details about mental distress to some members of their family 22% of respondents stated that they could not disclose details about mental distress to their partners 74% of respondents stated that they could not disclose details about mental distress on application forms 19% of respondents stated that they could not disclose details about mental distress to their GP (Mental Health Foundation, Foundation 2000: 12) Bi--Polar Affective Disorder: Session Bi Overview a)) General description of BiBi-Polar Affective Disorder b) The ‘depressive’ element c) Th ‘manic’ The ‘ i ’ element l t d) Long term outcomes d) Treatment The Evaluation Evaluation Results: Aims The evaluation examined: – Course satisfaction – Impact on selfself-reported levels of knowledge – Impact p on self self--reported p levels of confidence in referring offenders to mental health services – Staff attitudes towards mental illness – Potential impact on probation practice Evaluation Results: Sample and Method A total of 283 staff were trained Evaluation conducted using prepre- and postpost t-course questionnaires ti i Findings were based on participants who ho returned et ned both prep e- and postpre postcourse questionnaires Evaluation Results: Course Satisfaction Continued Over 95% off th O the trainees t i rated t d the th course as either ‘mostly’ or ‘completely’ interesting 93% said id it was ‘mostly’ ‘ tl ’ or ‘completely’ ‘ l t l ’ clearly delivered Over 73% said the training was either ‘ ‘mostly’ tl ’ or ‘‘completely’ l t l ’ applicable li bl tto their th i current work Evaluation Results: Impact on Knowledge Self Self--reported knowledge had increased in all of the subject areas covered by the training Evaluation Results: Impact on Confidence Reduction in the number of people saying y g they y were ‘not at all’ confident in their ability to refer offenders to mental health services Increase in the number of people rating their confidence as either medium--high or ‘very’ confident medium Evaluation Results: Impact on Attitudes Towards Mental Illness Series S i off statements t t t from f the th attitudes ttit d towards t d mental illness survey conducted for the DH Results showed that probation staff generally appeared pp to have a more p positive attitude towards mental illness than people interviewed in the general population survey - even before attending the course The course did not have any statistically significant impact on trainees’ attitudes Evaluation Results: Impact on Practice 94% of p participants p said they y would be able to use learning from the training in their future practice Evaluation Results: Impact on Practice Examples E mple of applying ppl ing the training t ining to practice included: – Recognising signs and symptoms of MH disorder amongst clients – Making appropriate referrals to MH services – Working k more effectively ff l in terms off things h like writing PSRs, completing OASys, understanding gp psychiatric y reports p and liaising g with prison inin-reach teams However, the training did not appear to impact on the number of referrals made to MH services shortly after the training Conclusion Ideally Id ll mental t lh health lth awareness ttraining i i should be built in as core training for criminal justice staff We have provided an example of a short course that has evaluated well with staff in three probation areas Implementation through a traintrain-the the-trainer model makes it costcost-effective We could adapt the materials for use in other settings/with multimulti-agency groups Conclusion: Questions for the Audience Do D criminal i i l justice j ti staff t ff iin your country t learn l about b t mental t l health? Do you think this should be a core part of probation training in Europe? What advantages could a short training course like this provide to probation staff in your country? Contact Us: CJMH Team University of Lincoln, UK 01522 886949 cbrooker@lincoln.ac.uk csirdifield@lincoln.ac.uk i difi ld@li l k